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Nullification Crisis
Introduction In Psalm 73 verses 5-7 within the Holy Bible states "Therefore Pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment". In terms of exegesis, it means anyone who is blind to see the current world is too stubborn to focus on what matters most, pride. In this case, pride comes in the neglect form of nullification, which is a federal law that can be suspended by a state within its borders. The process took quite a toll when South Carolina in the early eighteenth century was well knwon for their excessive labor in slavery and manufacturing an abundant supply of cotton along the eastern seaboard. With that in mind, the state grew sensative about their business as though it was fragile prize. Once the election of 1828 came around, in which Federalist Andrew Jackson won, he came up with ways that would both help South Carolina regain its commercial power at first then slowly lose it again through taxes. South Carolina's oversensitive selfishness over agriculture power grew intense to the point where they almost declared Civil War earlier. The Spark As soons as Jackson was elected into the oval office, his first priority was to settle the tariff demands of South Carolina in the aftermath of the war of 1812. Ever since the war and the migration of innovations into the country, South Carolina went through an agriculture depression where manufacturers demanded for a high tariff to serve as a protective for American industry from foreign competition by raising the prices of foreign goods (American Eras vol.5 page 195 web). Through their demands, Congress sought it not only as a means to protect the textile industry but also as an opportunity to invest in the national road to the West (The American Heritage). Throughout the 1820's, Congress passed the first protective tariff in 1816 that increased the rates by 25% and another high one in 1824 on finished woolen prouducts (American Eras Vol. 5 page 195 web), which soon altogether the Carolinians blamed to cause the emigration of almost 70,000 people from South Carolina (Nullification definition education-portal.com). Soon the decreased doubled by 1828, when arose another high tariff effect that was raised upon manufactured goods such as: woolens, molasses, flax, hemp, and cotton (American Eras vol. 5 page 195 web). With having the high tariff put into effect in 1828 not only discouraged the state's rich source, but the "Tariff of Abominations" also rendered French and British traders to get a hand on American money with which they can use to buy the cotton (Nullification definition education-portal.com) As times grew tough throughout the 1830's, South Carolina began to question the power of the tariff through an interpretation of the Constitution which the state took in participation of ratifying as a means to establish a strong central government which means the state in whole has the rights to raise a voice in the government they gave birth to. Suprisingly, the constitution didn't say anywhere that the federal government was allowed to levy a tax upon a tariff. Therefore, South Carolina believed that the tariff was unconstitutional as a means of shifting wealth from one section to another and the state legislatures appealled to proclaim a nullificaton against the federal tariff. Friendship into Rivalry When South Carolina was growing restless of losing profit and position, they turned to the aid of Vice President John C. Calhoun, who was John Quiny Adam's former Vice president and originally represented South Carolina before joining Jackson in the campaign of 1828. Ironic as it sounds, Calhoun was also behind the structure of the 1828 "tariff of abominations" that lead to South Carolina's question of loyalty to the union (Pierson, Parke South Carolina takes on feds web.). Calhoun anonymously drafted the infamous South Carolina Exposition and Protest, ''in which he describes his theory of nullification that a majority of the state has the right to nullify or veto federal laws as the state has reserved rights among the union since their participation in ratifying the constitution. Therefore besides South Carolina, any state has the right to say no to laws that appear unconstitutional as a means of preserving the Union with all the states treated fairly without threat of secession. "In all cases, of compact between parties having no common judge, each party has an equal right to judge for itself, as well of the infraction as of the mode and measure of reddress." (Berkley series in American History). Also in part of that, he claimed that the nations' main exporters, southern planters, were being taxed by the federal import duties, and the government would threaten slaver trade through the high importation. Even though the words had meaning, they didn't have much affect on the general assembly to repeal the tariffs (Edgar,Walter. Nullification Crisis 1824-1834). The matter not only caught the attention of South Carolinians, but also Jackson's as well. Calhoun influenced him to ask before Congress to reduce the tariffs since South Carolina went through a rough agricultural depression but he did not fully repeal them, which gave rise to the tariff of 1832 that kept a high tariff on iron and cloth. Even though the tariff seemed like an easy loop hole, it did not stop the tension to declare nullification among South Carolina even Calhoun. Despite Calhoun's belief on nullifcation, Jackson saw it as disrespectfull sign of treason against the Union as a means of secession (Edgar, Walters. Nullificaton Crisis 1828-1834). With the two factors having accounted for, Calhoun slowly drifted away from Jackson even since the night of the Jefferson day dinner in Washington where Jackson infamously announced, "Our Union- it must be preserved!". Shortly afterwards, Calhoun made an announcement in backfire by saying, "the Union, next to our liberty most dear! May we all remember that it can only be preserved by respecting the rights of the States and distributing equally the benefit and the burden of the Union!". Ever since that moment, intensity grew between the two until the point Calhoun resigned his vice presidency and became a senator to continue fighting the tariff in December 1832 (A. Weisberger, Bernard. "the nullifiers") The Great Debates As time continued throughout 1828 and into 1829, the demand for nullification grew higher with raised duties on clothed materials and increasing tariffs until the point where the matter had to be taken to the Judicial Court. In the past, there only one of two ways to settle political dilemmas by getting a constitutional amendment or convincing the Federal government to drop the law (Lobb, David. eductional-portal.com). However the issue was brought before the court in a fashonable way but through a loop hole in another case. On December 30, 1830 while senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri argued that the government was restricting the sale of western land due to his speculation that the north favored it for their benefit of maintaining excessive industrial labor. Once Benton got that point, Hayne found the opportunity to change the topic to the tariff of South Carolina which he believed as the Carolinians as well as Benton did that the government has been causing hardship upon one area of the nation in order to benefit the other region as a means to disrespect the Union. In offense of the government, Hayne declared that the demand for nullification is similair to and based on the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 that were written as a means to declare the Alien and Sedition Acts of unconstitutional (encycopedia of presidents). However, Senator Daniel Webster of Massachussettes, perhaps the best orator at the time, counter attacked the argument that true sovereignity lies within the people for whom both state and Federal governments act as agents on their behalf. Without the government, where would South Carolina exist in the world? Also, he believed that the theory of nullification would bring about Civil War in the near future. Towards the end, Webster won over the jury and the judge John Marshall with his statements on the union's purpose leaving Hayne and Calhoun's theory into dust. In order to settle a dispute between a state and the federal government in this case, a special state convention was called upon in which state representatives meet together and discuss the situatuion like the constitutional convention (Lobb David, education-portal.com). The legislative called forth a state convention of 1828 which was assembled between the nationalist organziation States Rights and Free Trade Party, which consisted of Calhoun's friends James Hamilton, Robert Hayne, Henry Pinckney, and George McDuffie, aimed for the goal of installing nullification. Their competition was the Union and States Rights party which consisted of a band of radical leaders: the one overall William Smith with John Taylor and David Roger Williams along with Jacksonian Democrats: Joel Poinsett, Benjamen Perry, and James L. Petigru who in total aimed to oppose nullification for a balanced Union (Berkley Series in American History pg.30). The purposes of assembling the convention was not only to discuss the whereabouts of nullification, but also cover the defense of slavery, sectionalism, and opposition to major rule (Edgar, Walter. Nullification Crisis 1828 to 1834). Throughout the convention, the Unionists criticised undemocratic stanglehold of the lowcountry elite in state government however the those who favored nullifcation, or "nullfiers", within Calhoun's little conspiracy gained the upper hand with the slaveholding majority dominated the government. As a result, the nullifers won with their award of dominating the General Assembly where a 2/3 majority vote in legislature enacted an ordinance of nullification in November 1832 (Edgar, Walter. Nullification Crisis 1824 to 1834). Consequences and Beneficial ends Even though the nullification movement was probably a sign of "freedom" to the South Carolinians, however the President Jackson saw it as a means to rebel against federal authority and breaking the Union. In his procolomation to As soon as the the legislation established the ordinance across the state of South Carolina, it provided citizens with the opportunity to get a court order to recover twice the value if their land was seized by federal authorities for failing to pay and forbade the collection of duties (Lobb, David. Education-portal.com). In addition within the same year 1832, the legislation elected Robert Hayne as governor and John C. Calhoun as a senator to defend the moral rights of nullification for the state. With word going around about South Carolina's nullification and possible secession, state legislations across the country took sides according to their own opinion about the matter which resulted with slave states Virginia and Georgia joining the South Carolina cause while the northern states were seeking to nullify federal mandates since the war of 1812 (Berkley Series in American History pg.46). In reaction and response to the matter, Jackson did his best to preserve the Union by any means necessary. In his procolomation to the people of South Carolina, Jackson clearly states that the void is "imcompatible with the existence of the Union, contracted expressly by the letter of the Constitution, unauthorized by its spirit, inconsistent with every principle on which it was founded, and destructive of the great object for which it was formed." (Berkley Series of American History pg.9). As the early year 1833 roled around, still in denial to repeal the tariff laws, Jackson followed the Wilkins act which allowed him to gain powers to implement federal tariff laws. With the Bill at his side, Jackson sent almost 5000 troops and a warship to Charleston Harbor to enforce the tariff law (encyclopedia.com). In counterattack to Jackson, Governor Hayne brings together 25,000 volunteers and state troops to fend off the federal thugs (A. Weisberger, Bernard. "The Nullifiers".) This was one step further to Civil War. Before barely any blood was spilt, by February 1, 1833 Kentucky governor Henry Clay managed to draw up a "compromise" bill in which he proposes that sliced duties (A. Weisberger, Bernard. "The Nullifiers") and sought to reduce the trariff law within the next ten years until 1842 (Lobb, David. Education-portal.com). When the South Carolina legislature heard of the news, the convention met once again on March 1 and revoked the nullification (encyclopedia.com). Even though peace came once again, it would not last long until Civil War broke out. Even though South Carolina is well organized with the boom economy in cotton and plantation, they easily can grow irritated or agrivated when a certain law interferes with their power. Whether if a harmless or even major one, a trade tax would grow until it rouses the central core of South Carolina to the point where they take things critically. In a way, South Carolina was the perhaps sensative baby during the eighteenth centruy to declare war over their unique trade system. Sources Pierson, Parke. "South Carolina takes on the feds: Taxes on imported goods nearly sparked civil war in 1832." America's civil war. Nov. 2009: 23. US History collection. web. 5 Dec. 2013. "Tariffs." ''American Eras . Vol. 5 : The Reform Era and Eastern US Department, 1815-1850. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 195-196. Gale Virtual Referance Library. ''Web. 2 Dec. 2013. Edgar, Walter. "Nullification Crisis 1828-1834". The University of South Carolina press. Nd. Web.19 Nov. 2013 A. Weisberger, Bernard. "The Nullifiers". ''The American Heritage Oct. 1995: 20+. US History Collection. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. "Nullification". Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopdia.com. 5 Dec 2013. Lobb, David. "Nullification Crisis of 1832: Definition, Summary, & Quiz." Educational-portal.com. Nd. 5 Dec. 2013 Rubel, David. "Encyclopedia of Presidents and their Times". Scholastic Inc.1 Jan. 2009. print.